Jano Belo and Kekoa Bacalso clinch victory in Round 1 of 2011 Reef Hawaiian Pro
The surfing action continued at the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, on Monday, November 21, as some of the most talented surfers from around the globe competed for survival in the Round of 128 (Round 1) of the Reef Hawaiian Pro. The seventh heat of the opening round saw Brazil’s Jano Belo take on South Africa’s Dale Staples, along with Hawaii Love Hodel and Sunny Garcia, while Guadeloupe’s Charles Martin squared off with Hawaii’s Kekoa Bacalso, Pancho Sullivan and Solomon Ortiz in the eighth heat.
The seventh heat saw Belo put up a solid performance to secure his place in the Round of 96 (Round 1). Hodel evaded eliminated as well by finishing in runner-up place. Garcia and Staples rounded out the third and fourth positions respectively, consequently getting eliminated from the competition.
Bacalso and Martin fought tooth and nail for the top honours in the eighth heat, but the Hawaiian eventually managed to prevail and left the latter to settle for the runner-up place. However, both the surfers advanced through into the second round as a result of their top-two finish.
With clean head-high waves on offer at the primary event site after a long wait of nine days, the first stop of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing was finally able to get underway. After a series of exciting battles, the opening round of the competition came down to the seventh heat to separate the in-form surfers and send them through into the next round.
As the seventh heat kicked off, Belo quickly adjusted to the conditions and locked a wave to post a 5.73 on the score-board. He soon added an additional 7.67 to his account, taking his heat-total to 13.40 points and consequently walking away with the win.
Hodel did not look too comfortable during the 25-minute four-man battle, but still managed to collect a 4.07 and 5.60 off his best-two waves to clinch the runner-up spot and thus extend his life in the competition.
Garcia missed out on the safe zone by merely 0.27 points after finishing with a heat-total of 9.40 points. Staples struggled to find his rhythm throughout the entirety of the heat and eventually finished with a disappointing two-wave total of 3.63 points.
The next heat featured Bacalso and Martin engaging in an intense bout for top honours. As the four-man bout kicked off, the Hawaiian immediately took an upper hand with a 5.33-point wave, though Martin stayed right at his heels with a first-wave score of 5.23 points.
As the heat progressed, the Guadeloupe-based Martin added another 6.33 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 11.56 points. Bacalso searched desperately for an adequate response and eventually found what he was looking for on his final wave. With a last-minute 6.83-point wave, he was able to turn the tables on Martin and clinch victory, forcing the latter to settle for second place.
Sullivan and Ortiz did not look too comfortable in the challenging conditions at the North Shore of Oahu. Despite a desperate effort, Sullivan was only able to get to a heat-total of 9.86 points, while Ortiz collected a 3.40 and 4.87-point wave to finish in last place. The lacklustre performance led to their elimination from the competition.
For more updates on Round 1 of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, stay tuned to bettor.com.
Tags: